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How To Knit A Scarf

Learning to knit is very old skool – but also very in fashion, don’t ‘cha know. Now is the time to start putting your needles to work and creating a scarf which you can wear with pride and support your favourite NZ sports team!

Why Bother Knitting?

Learning to knit is somewhat of a mini-challenge. I know a few people who take up knitting because they’re giving up smoking and they want something to keep them busy and away from junk food. And keep you busy knitting certainly will. You can sit for hours if you chose to, balls of wool piled up on your lap, needles clicking away, while chatting to your friends or ‘listening’ to the telly.

Learning to knit is a worthwhile project, because you get to reap the rewards afterwards. Nothing is more pleasing than seeing the final result of something you’ve made with your own hands – and if you get to wear it too is even more special. Before you know it you’ll be knitting baby booties for newborns, and moving swiftly onto beanies and jumpers…but let’s not get carried away just yet. If you’re a beginner and want to learn how to knit, a scarf is probably the best option to get you started.

Tools

Pay a visit to your local craft store and pick up some knitting needles and your wool. The thicker the needles, the thicker the appearance of your scarf .You’ll also need a good pair of sharp scissors, and a yarn needle.

Casting

Casting your wool onto the knitting needles is the first thing you need to do to get started. It’s a little tricky, so you might need to practise a couple of times. See the below video for a visual explanation.

First of all create a loop by wrapping the wool around your forefinger. Place the loop onto one of the knitting needles and tie a small knot.

While holding the needle in your right hand, hold the wool with three fingers in your left hand. Loop the wool under your left thumb, push the needle underneath it. Wrap the wool around the needle and release the loop which is on your thumb onto the needle and pull tight. Repeat this about 20-30 times to complete your casting row, which is a good width for your scarf. Again, the ticker your knitting needles, the wider the scarf will be and the less casting row loops required.

Knit Away

Now you’re ready to start knitting the length of your scarf. Hold your needles so that they form a V shape, with the length of the wool wrapped around your right finger (or left if you are left handed).

Loop the right needle into the left stitch and wrap the wool from your right finger behind the right needle.

Bring the right needle underneath the left needle then lift the stitch up and off, being careful not to drop the stitch, which will create a hole or gap in the scarf.

Continue until you have completed your casted row, then turn the needles around and start another row until you have a length which is long enough for a scarf.

Tidying Up

When you have a desired length for your scarf, the next thing to do is finish it off so that it doesn’t fray. Cut about 10cm of the remaining wool and tie a small knot into it.

A good way to provide extra thickness to the base of your scarf is to thread the 10cm into the scarf using your yarn needle. Thread the wool through the knitting that sit on the bottom row of the scarf, and then tie another small knot when complete.

Getting The Knack

As mentioned earlier, learning to knit is somewhat of a mini challenge, so you need to be willing to accept it. Don’t give up if you can’t get the knack of it – Rome wasn’t built in a day and practise makes perfect. If you’re struggling with the concept, try gathering your mates together and learn as a group – you’ll be able to support each other and catch up on your gossip at the same time.